Burdened
by NickyRockit
Summary: Julie is pregnant, and has a hard time accepting it. While it's unnerving enough that she's expecting, she also has to deal with delivering the news to Mike. Inspired by a prompt that was given to me through Tumblr. "Julie telling Mike she's pregnant."


Julie sat at the foot of Claire's bed, the heel of her boot tapping the floor like a damaged metronome ticking out of time. Her hands had just stop shaking the moment she spat the words out, though that didn't necessarily stop the sweat that was currently coating them.

"You're joking." Claire said in a short breath. Her shrunken pupils returning to their normal size, as a nervous grin grew on her lips. "It's all a joke, right?"

The red head turned her shameful gaze away from her shocked best friend. "No…" She answered. Sinking from the edge of the bed, and into the floor, she hugged her knees and buried her face in them, because that seemed a lot more comforting than to face her best friend at the moment.

That ping of hope that still lingered on Claire's face faded. A memory emerging… She remembers when they were younger, still in their early teens, how they talked about finding the right person one day, getting married with the most extravagant wedding, and sharing the news about their growing families. How they practiced their overly elated reactions when that moment came. But this was different, and the circumstances weren't the best.

Claire couldn't quite put together what she was currently feeling. Pity? Sadness? Disappointment? Her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Julie's miserable state, and immediately knelt before her; gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jules," She said, and Julie slowly rose her gaze to her. "Are you sure?" Claire pressed.

Julie sniffled. She hadn't realized she had started to cry, that was very rare of her.

"Yes!" Julie choked out. "I've taken the test five times already, I'm pretty sure it's not just coincidence!" She said, her voice rising as a result of desperation. "I screwed up! I screwed up big time."

"I'm sorry, Jules…" Claire consoled sympathetically. "But what do you plan to do now?"

The question sent more panic down Julie's spine. Not that she has put much thought to it, but every single thing she thought to a solution didn't necessarily end up with good consequences. She was Kane's daughter after all, but that's precisely why this sort of thing would never work. Kane expected so much of her, and without knowing it, so did everyone else.

"I-I don't know… It's obvious that I can't tell my dad!" She admitted.

"Well, you can't hide this forever you know. Sooner or later you're gonna start to grow, and well… I know you're really good at being cautious, and using your holograms and all that kind of super techie stuff, but you know there's more things to a pregnancy than just a swollen belly, right?"

"I know… But what do you expect me to do? Just casually tell my dad that I'm pregnant, and expect him to understand, and be all happy for me? That's not gonna happen, Claire! You know how he is, and even if he eventually accepts it, he'll want answers!"

Claire furrowed her eyebrows at her words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he'll want to know who the father is! And let's be honest here, even if I kept that from him, he'll try to do the impossible, and even reach extremities to find out who did this to me… And knowing him and his technology, he will find out."

Claire rolled her eyes, and let out a sarcastic bark of laughter at Julie's words. "Oh come on, it's not like your dad has Mike Chilton's DNA stored up in one of his high security labs or something." Claire scoffed.

Claire's laughter ceased as she stared at Julie, her gaze serious. She didn't need to hear Julie's response to know what it meant. "No!" She exclaimed in denial.

"You'd be surprised…" Was all Julie had to say to confirm her assumption.

A shudder went down Claire's spine. Was there anything Kane hasn't thought of?

Claire pushed the disturbing thought aside, and looked down at Julie, who was still struggling with her options. A relieving thought crept around her mind. Kane wasn't the only support Julie relied on.

"Well, what does Mike have to say about all of this?" She inquired.

The question made Julie's cheeks stain bright red, her eyes shy, and a small nervous smile grew on her lips. "I ah… Heh… Actually…" She paused, her nervous shaky fingers finding distraction with a strand of hair. "Uh… Well, you see…" She sighed.

Claire closed her eyes in annoyance, and took a deep breath. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"No… You're the only person that knows… I just… I thought I would have everything figured out before the time came to tell him…"

"And that is precisely why you need to tell him, Julie!" Claire said, her voice exasperated.

Julie bowed her head in shame, her hands hugging her arms. Nothing about this situation seemed worth sharing, she was already being scolded by her best friend, she didn't want to imagine the kind of feedback she'd receive if more people knew about her little inconvenience.

"Look, I get it you're scared, and that's totally understandable. I would be too, trust me. But you don't have to deal with this on your own, you know? And if there's anyone out there who can truly help you cope with this is Mike."

Julie shook her head. Easier said than done, she thought. Deep down she wanted to tell Mike, and she knew that what Claire was stating was true. Mike wasn't just her boyfriend, he was also her friend, and no matter how crude her situations were, he always knew the right things to say to cheer her up. He understood her, and he was patient with her, no matter the things she kept from him, no matter how obvious it seemed sometimes, he still trusted her.

Julie sighed. Sometimes she felt like she didn't deserve Mike.

"I know…" She almost whispered. "I just thought that maybe I'd have things figured out, and then maybe I wouldn't have to go through this…"

"What do you mean?"

Julie gave Claire a sheepish look, her arms once again hugging her knees. "I-I don't know… Maybe get rid of it or something." She shrugged.

Claire gave the ground a solemn look. She was afraid Julie would say something like this. "Jules, no matter what your decision is, I still think it's something you ought to discuss with Mike first. I mean, don't you think he deserves to take that decision with you as well?"

"Mike doesn't deserve this, Claire." Julie answered.

"Uh, last time I checked, it takes two to tango. Please don't blame this all on your own, this is his fault as it is yours. So I think it's only fair that you solve this together." Claire kept insisting.

A frown formed on Julie's features, because she knew Claire was right, but delivering the news wasn't the only concern she had. It wasn't just the fact that she was expecting, it was who she was, and who he was as well. No matter how much she tried fantasizing that things would end up great between her and Mike, there was always that high possibility that it wouldn't. One slip, just that one small detail about her could change everything between them. Of course she couldn't read his mind, that was silly, but she always feared loosing his trust for who she really was. For all the lies she kept from him, out of fear, to protect him, to protect her own heart from shattering, and that's precisely why she preferred to live in her little world of lies, because that seemed more soothing than her reality. She wasn't expecting for anyone to understand her motives, and she certainly wasn't expecting Mike to do so.

Julie let out a defeating sigh. It didn't matter how much she thought about it, she let things escalate to this point, and as much as she hates to admit it, she does need Mike, and now more than ever.

"You're right…" Said Julie. "I don't know what I was thinking, I'm just scared as hell, that's all."

Claire gave her a sympathetic smile. There's not much she could actually do for her, other than just be there for her friend, and she didn't need to say it out loud for Julie to know that.

Julie sighed. "Thanks, Claire." Her face uneasy with nerves.

"Hey… Everything will be okay…" Claire tells her.

-0-

_'Everything will be okay…'_ Claire's words echoes in her mind.

It took her a couple of hours of deep thinking for her to find the courage to drive herself down to Motorcity. Her mind bracing itself for the worst. Like her father's possible reaction to all of this, she wasn't necessarily expecting Mike to accept this lightly as well.

They don't notice her at first, and for a brief second she's thankful of that. She takes the opportunity to embrace the sight of everything normal. Her friends enjoying each other's company with the usual video game. Jacob experimenting with new ingredients behind the counter, the smell of something incomprehensible brewing on the stove mixed with a hint of motor oil and fuel… And it smelled and felt so warming, like the way she'd always expect safety to feel. Like home.

"Hey, Jules! Didn't know you were gonna come down today!" Mike beamed, his eyes never leaving the screen before him.

"Yeah… Sorry about that." She tells him with a forced smile, and to her luck their game had just ended, as Texas rose from his seat, his hands rising in victory.

"Aha! Texas is the campion!" He chants, and the rest grunt, and roll their eyes at his victory dance, and that's when they all finally take the opportunity to glance at her.

"Oh hey, Julie! I see you're feeling much better today, that's good!" Chuck points out, and Julie shuffles her feet uncomfortably.

The symptoms were a little hard to conceal for the past couple of weeks, and there were times when she actually had to leave, or skip a mission because of them. It's why she hasn't been down in days. Because she was "sick". Because she didn't know.

"Yeah… I uh… I went to the doctor, and got myself checked out, but I'm fine." She says, biting the tip of her tongue for the small fib.

Chuck stares at her with great interest, the rest now sharing the same look. "Oh! Well, what did he say? Was it just the usual stomach bug, or something else?" The blond inquires, and Julie regrets ever mentioning a doctor.

"Yeah… Just a stomach bug…" She says in a low voice and a frown, avoiding eye contact as much as she could.

As much as she would like to reassure them that she's not dying from a terminal disease, she came here for one specific reason, and that reason was casually sitting on the booth with the rest, with that cool smile of his that makes her melt inside every time she indulges herself on it.

"I'm sorry," She sighs. "but can I talk to you?" She says, facing Mike.

Mike's smile falters, he notices the worry in her. "Sure!" He answers, and with a quick look he excuses himself from the group; scooting himself free from his seat.

Julie quickly grabs his hand, she doesn't even know where she's guiding him, she just goes with it, taking rushed steps through a set of hallways; leading towards the rooms, until she takes hold of the first door knob she could find, and bursts the door open, only to quickly close it behind her as soon as the both of them have entered the room.

Mike doesn't say anything, he just stares at her with worry for what she might have to say. _'What does Kane have in store for us now?'_ He wonders.

Julie is almost hyperventilating, her heart racing with unexplainable speed, and it takes her a couple of seconds to recognize the familiar surroundings. Mike's room. Her knees start to shake, and Mike notices, so he takes hold of her hand, and gently guides her to his bed so she could sit. Maybe that would help, he thinks.

"Jules, what's going on?" Mike asks in a dead serious tone, taking a seat next to her, his thumb softly caressing her hand as he tries to calm her shaky state.

The red head takes a deep breath. It's too late to back down now. "Okay, I-I think I'm just gonna go right ahead and say it." She tells him, her voice tense as her eyes focuses on their tangled hands.

"Hey," Mike says, his arm hugging her waist to bring her closer to him. "You know you can-"

"Mike, I'm pregnant." She interrupts him, literally vomiting the words out.

The tension building on Mike's shoulders leaves, like a pack of flocking birds finally taking its course, because thank God their city won't be falling apart anytime soon. He notices the look on Julie's face, the way her eyes glisten with threatening tears, the way she looks almost ashamed? And suddenly everything makes sense to him. Julie's been sick to her stomach lately, she's been eating odd things, how she can't stand certain smells, how she's suddenly moody and sensitive. That explains a lot! Because holy shit! Julie's pregnant!

His eyes widen, and his breathing intensifies as something foreign starts to burn at the pit of his stomach, and he quickly turns to face her.

"Jules, a-are you serious?" He even stammers at his question with the sudden shock.

Julie nods, the fear still in her eyes, as if she can't believe the words that just came out of her mouth, but it's too late to take it all back now. It was already too late the moment the test read positive.

"Since when have you known?" Mike asks in a low voice, breaking Julie out of her thoughts.

She dares herself a quick glance at him, but he's not upset as she was expecting, instead, he just looks concerned.

"Three days…" She answers.

Mike sighs heavily. "Why didn't you call me?" He asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

She notices that their hands were still entwined, his thumb once again caressing her hand.

"I-I was scared…" She admits, and his concern morphs into a warm smile, his other hand rubbing her arm, as he gently plants a kiss on her hairline.

Parenting wasn't something Mike had put much thought into, not because he never wanted to, but because he just never had time to. It's one of those things that just never even occurred to him. Julie on the other hand, was someone he had put a lot of thought into. Their relationship was something that grew out of years of trust, and caring towards each other, something that eventually morphed into something bigger, something he couldn't quite put into words. He just knew that he wanted to be by her side, wanted to love and protect her…

"I'm still scared!" She confessed, her eyes now spilling as she buried her face in his chest.

Mike hugged her, and with each anguished sob, his arms tightened around her. He didn't need for her to tell him that she was scared, that was something that he could sense on its own. He understands, like him, she probably didn't had this planned for her life. And the most obvious option of them all, they weren't prepared for this.

"Hey," He says in a low warm voice, gently guiding her chin so their eyes could meet, his hand now caressing her cheek, their eyes finally locked. "Everything's going to be okay. I-I know this is something we weren't prepared for, but we can do this, Jules."

Julie shook her head. "I don't want to burden you…" She comments softly.

"Jules… Why would you say that? Listen to me," And her big wet eyes stared intently at his. "I'm not going to leave your side, okay? And there's nothing you can say that would change my mind on this. I care way too much for you to think otherwise. Besides, you know I'm not that kind of person…"

It felt relieving to hear that, and she smiles at his words, just like she always does whenever she finds safety in them.

"I love you," He says, gently touching his forehead with hers.

"I love you too, Mike." She quickly answers, tangling her hands on the back of his neck, as they both slowly lean closer for their lips to meet.

In that moment, she looses herself. She yearned for him, for that safety he always managed to give her. She wishes for his words to be true, that everything was going to be okay. She trusts Mike, she always has, but deep down inside she knew that no matter how much Mike supported her, that nothing could actually save her from her other torment.

She breaks the kiss, leaving Mike begging for more, but before he can engage her into another kiss, she tells him in a low voice. "There's something else you should know…"

Mike nods, and gently brushes a lock of hair behind her ear. "What is it?" He asks softly.

Julie took a deep and determined breath. She never imagined that this scenario; this precise moment and situation would be the one to finally make her tell Mike the truth. No matter the outcome, he deserved to know the severity of the situation, she at least owed him that.

"Abraham Kane is my father." She finally lets it out.

There is silence, and not the good kind. Mike stares at her with an unreadable gaze, a chill runs down his spine. Finally, he can truly understand her fear as if it was his own.

Julie is about to stand, and leave, she doesn't think she can stand much more of the silence, but Mike brings her closer to him. His hand now resting on her abdomen.

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you or our baby." He finally says, his voice firm.

All that tension and fear Julie felt earlier was finally long gone, and she was speechless. Either this was a hallucination or Mike truly didn't care who she really was, and the consequences that their relationship brought. No, it wasn't that he didn't care, he just trusted her.

A tear slithered down her cheek, only this time it wasn't out of fear, but out of a huge sense of relief, and he gently wipes it away with his thumb.

"Didn't you hear me?" He asks softly, a warm smile now growing on his lips. "I said, there's nothing you can say that would make me change my mind."

And in that moment, Julie knew that everything was really going to be okay.


End file.
